A group of fishermen in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, held a protest at sea on Monday denouncing Japan’s decision to release radioactive water from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. 

The fishermen, aboard some 50 vessels, held their protest in waters off Gujora Port, saying Japan’s move will destroy the marine ecosystem. 

A similar protest was held in waters off Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. Aboard some 170 vessels, fishermen there expressed concerns that their livelihoods would suffer a blow similar to the one in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. 

Amid such concerns, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety launched food safety inspections on Japanese marine products. 

The ministry vowed to carry out a thorough inspection, citing that it expanded last year the number of high purity germanium(HPGe) radiation detectors from 23 to 36 and hired 12 more related personnel.